Weather Journal: Rain Returns, Briefly

A mild storm system will bring April showers Thursday, as the wet weather trend continues for the region.

Although the latest batch of rain won’t compare to last weekend’s downpour, a half-inch or so could fall in some areas — roughly equivalent to the city’s entire rainfall total for the first 20 days of April. The Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma has issued an outlook that includes a rumble of thunder over southern New Jersey as well.

After these showers pass, things start looking up. The weekend is increasingly likely to stay dry, which is good news to those whose plans were washed out last Sunday. A persistent trough of low pressure means rain chances will stay in the picture, off-and-on, for the time being. Another storm system moving through the Tennessee Valley on Saturday will likely pass well offshore of Long Island, too far away to to dampen this weekend’s activities.

Temperatures will remain on the cool side, however, as the weather pattern right now favors northwest winds that will keep things at or below normal (for a change).

Incoming Space Shuttle: The Intrepid Museum announced that NASA has again rescheduled its delivery of the Space Shuttle Enterprise to New York City due to lingering weather concerns. The new arrival date for Enterprise is Friday morning, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Although viewing of the actual airport landing will be restricted from the public, Enterprise — strapped to the back of a modified Boeing 747 — will conduct a flyover of Manhattan beforehand. This will be the prototype shuttle’s first trip in the air since a 1985 ferry flight to the Smithsonian in D.C., where it has remained since its glory days as the first space shuttle ever constructed by NASA.

If you happen to be at JFK Friday morning, and can snap a picture of this once-in-a-lifetime sight, send your pictures to @WSJweather on Twitter. We’ll be sure to share the best ones.

Thursday’s Greater New York forecast roundup:

WSJ Headquarters in Manhattan:

Actual High: 64; High feels like: 64

Actual Low: 47; Low feels like: 45

Weather: Chance of showers, and maybe thunder

Brooklyn: 62/47

Queens: 65/48

Bronx: 64/48

Staten Island: 61/46

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: 59/41

Trenton, N.J.: 59/47, chance of thunderstorms late

Islip, Long Island: 60/45

New Haven, Conn.: 59/43

Meteorologist Eric Holthaus contributes daily weather reports and analysis on Metropolis. For the latest on conditions in New York and elsewhere, follow his updates (@WSJweather) on Twitter.